Car-brake mechanism.



PATENTED JAN. 27,1903.

J. SHELTON. GAR BRAKE MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 17 1902.

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INVENTOR.

WITNESSES.-

ATTORNEY.

No. 719,148. PATENTED JAN. 27, 1903.

' J. SHELTON. CAR BRAKE MECHANISM.

APPLIUATION FILED MAR. 17, 1902.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR A TTORNEY.

llrrirnn dramas Parent .IOIIN SIIELTON, OF DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR OFONE-HALF TO EDWARD P-BECIiER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

CAR-BRAKE MECHANISM.

QIPECIFIUATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 719,148, dated January2'7, 1903. Application filed March 17,1902. Serial No. 98,640. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN SHELTON, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Denver, in the county of Arapahoe and State ofColorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-BrakeMechanism; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the ELCCOHI." panying drawings, and to the figures of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates improvements in carbrake mechanism, my object beingto provide a brake construction in which brake-beams for supporting theshoes are not employed, thus doing away with afruitful source ofaccidents. The ordinary brake-beams some times become loose and fallupon the track, derailing the car. \Vith my improved construction theconnections and appliances are located well above the track to preventthem from coming in contact with objects thereon.

My further object is to provide a beamless brake mechanism which shallbe exceedingly simple in construction, economical in cost, reliable,durable, and efficient in use; and to these ends the invention consistsof the features, arrangements, and combinations hereinafter describedand claimed, all of which will be fully understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which is illustrated an embodiment thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a bottom view of a car equipped with myimproved construction. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 isan inside end view, the

wheels being partly broken away to better disclose the features of myimprovement. Fig. a is a perspective view ofabrake-shoe mounted upon thelive-lever of my improved construction. Fig. 5 is a perspective view ofthe upper portion of the dead-lever.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the views.

Let the numeral 5 designate the live-lever, and 6 the dead-lever, of myimproved mechanism. Made fast to each of these levers intermediate itsextremities is a brake-shoe 7. As shown in the drawings, the shoe isprovided with an inclined slot, through which the lever passes and inwhich the latter is made fast. The lower extremities of the levers 5 and6 are pivotally connected byarod 8. The upper extremity of the lever 6passes through a guide-bracket 9, attached to the truck-bolster 10. Thislever extremity is held in the bracket by a pin or bolt and isadjustable to take up the slack of the brakeshoes, the said bracketbeing provided with extra openings for the purpose.

The upper extremity of each lever 5 is pivotally connected with abrake-rod 12, which is bifurcated at its outer extremity, its arms 12being suitably connected with the upper extremities of the twolive-levers 5 belonging to the same truck. One of the brakerods 12 isconnected at its inner extremity with the ordinary cylinder-lever 13 ofan airbrake system, as the Westinghouse. This le- Ver is actuated by thepiston of the brake-cyl inder 14, which also is of ordinaryconstruction. The other brake-rod 12 is connected with a lever15,usually termed the floating lever of an air-brake system. The levers13 and 15 are connected by a rod 16.

The brake-shoes are suspended from a bottom bar 16 of the car byU-shaped hangers 17.

From the foregoing description the use and operation of my improvedair-brake mechanism will be readily understood. As the piston of thebrake-cylinder is forced outwardly its stem 14, acting on the lever 13and on the lever 15, through the connecting-rod 16 actuates thebrake-rods 12 and forces the shoes 7 against the treads of thecar-wheels, as will be readily understood.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In acar-brake,the combination with the brake-shoes, of live and dead levers upon whichsaid brake-shoes are mounted and made fast, each shoe being locatedintermediate the extremities of its lever which occupies'a positionobliquely to the plane of the shoe which is slotted to receive thelever, a rod connecting each pair of lovers composed of one live-leverand one dead-lever below the shoes and outside of the car-wheels, andsuitable means connected with the upper extremities of the live-leversfor applying the brakes.

2. In car-brake mechanism, the combination with brake-shoes, and meansforsuspending the same from the bottom of the car, of live and deadlevers upon which the shoes are mounted and made fast intermediate thelever extremities, the said levers extending obliquely to the verticalplane of the shoes which are slotted to receive the levers, a rodconnecting each live-lever with its adjacent dead-lever below the shoesand outside of the car-wheels, a guide Within which the upper extremityof each dead-lever is adjustably mounted, and a rod connecting the upperextremities of the live-levers of each truck with the brake-operatingdevices, substantially as described.

3. .In car-brake mechanism, the combination with the brakeshoes, andmeans for Suepending them from the bottom of the car, of

live and dead levers upon which the shoes are mounted,each shoe beingobliquely slotted to receive its lever and made fast thereto intermediate the lever extremities, the levers extending obliquely to thevertical plane of the shoes, a rod connecting the extremities of the twolevers below the shoes and outside of the car-wheels, a guide attachedto the carbolster, in which guide the upper extremity of the dead-leveris adjustably mounted, and suitable means located between the car-Wheels for connecting the upper extremities of the live-levers withsuitable brake-operating devices, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN SHELTON.

